Hi, hoping someone can give me first hand experience about how stable the Oasis Tandam is with two people in it offshore in swells or rough water (moderate roughness). Planning to go down to Pensacola next month and have never been offshore in it. Just in rough lake water.

The rule of thumb is that boat can handle more than the crew can. On that basis it should do fine in anything you would be happy setting out in - just be conservative and don't go too far from safe harbour until you know the capabilities of your boat and crew, take adequate safety & survival equipment, and always be in a position to and ready to high-tail it home if conditions deteriorate.

Stobbo's right. I have the older version and the boat handles heavy water just fine. The new version is known to be better yet. The limits on the Oasis are based more on whose in it than what the boat is capable of handling. The best bet is to try it out gradually until you're comfortable with what nature throws at you. Always check the weather forecast before going out. And never forget, nothing we do is more important than our safety.

Our 2009 Oasis with the Hobie amas has been secure and dry in waves up to 18 inches.

I have been handling small craft for 4 decades with some good Navy training. So far I have been able to avoid bad situations and have kept the bow pointed into the waves and wind.

A couple of years ago we were at Avila Beach and were on the beach close to the pier. The beach is pretty protected. However that afternoon, there were 4-5' waves coming in.

A guy from Arizona with a Hobie Mirage Tandem Island was determined to launch his yak by himself inspite of some of us advising against it.

He pushed off and got caught sideways by a 4-5' wave. He went into the water and the right ama was ripped off shortly after he shoved off, and his Tandem Island was flipped over. I got him out the water. He was banged up, bleeding and shocking. Others got the Tandem Island flipped upright and pulled back to shore. We got his Tandem Island loaded back on his trailer and let him leave when he appeared to be somewhat normal.

daperrin :We had an Oasis that we would take out into the gulf quite often, (mostly down in the keys). One of our favorite pastimes was sailing with the Hobie Kayak sail, my wife in her Revolution, and me on the Oasis. Several things are important when in the ocean, especially when more than a few hundred feet from shore.1: Always be aware of the local currents, for example down in Key West they are very powerful (5-6mph) and can carry you out to sea with no hope of pedaling to safety. 2: There are onshore winds and offshore winds, whenever the winds are offshore (blowing out to sea), it is a very good idea to stay very close to shore, remain aware, and watch for changing conditions. Storms come up very quickly in Florida, and they can blow you out to sea. 3: if your going more than 2 miles from shore, the coast guard has strict rules that apply, that you must conform to. ( ie flares, safety gear, highly recommended fm radio, etc). Basically stay within 2 miles of shore in kayaks. 4. In open water you will be upset and tipped over by sudden boat wakes and waves from time to time (count on it). Make sure you and your passengers know how to right your kayak, and get back on board (it's harder than you think in open water). Make sure you practice.5. If you do tip over, peeing in the water doesn't help repel sharks (contrary to popular myth), I know I have tried it. (kidding)6. You never know what's going to happen, so always stow a first aid kit, and night boat lights, and a powerful flashlight for if you do get caught out at night, you can shine the light to see the buoys, and find your launch point (it gets very dark out there at night when there are clouds or no moon)7. Multiple boats is always safer just in case something happens. And always file a flight plan with someone who can help and knows what to do or who to contact for help if you are over due returning. 8. Make sure you have something to get the water out in the event that you get swamped. This happened to us once, where my wife had the hatch open getting her camera out to take a pic of her sister who had just tipped over and swamped her kayak. We also tipped over our boat and it filled with water, we lost a lot of stuff (make sure everything is lashed down). Always carry a large sponge, or big cups, or anything to get the water out (many people have small bilge pumps that they stow on board.9. If you are off shore and get in trouble, the likelihood of your cell phone saving you is very slim if it gets wet, and/or it's in a dry bag inside your swamped or overturned boat. (we always carry at least two, just in case),count on them working only a mile or two offshore, then your on your own (more than two miles out and I think a FM radio is required by law).10. Always wear PFD's when offshore, even if your a good swimmer.11. Carry 5 times more water than you think you will need, and some snacks (just in case you do get stranded)12. Hypothermia can occur in any water below 75 degrees if you are in the water for extended periods, in the winter we keep wet suits stowed on board (we don't typically put them on unless it cold out, but we can put them on in the water if necessary). It's just something you need to be aware of and be prepared for.13. You have to carry a whistle on each person, it's also a good idea to have at least a couple compasses along. We carry ours in our PFD's. A waterproof GPS is also pretty important, but don't count on that as your only navigation aid (batteries go dead). If in an unfamiliar area, waterproof charts are a good investment.Other than these little few things, it's really fun exploring. In my opinion going way out where there is nothing to see is very boring (why do it). Go explore barrier islands, mangrove tunnels, follow river inlets, etc, it is very fun.Our comfort level has always been if the waves are over 1 ft, it beats the heck out of you (very exhausting), and it's just no fun in a kayak. If the winds are over 10 mph, it's also more work than it's worth. Also if it's 95 degrees out and sunny with no wind at all, you will bake out there like fried eggs (not worth it).Hope this helps youBob

Great safety advice from Fusioneng but it represents an awfully long and depressing catalogue of all the things that can/might go wrong! It is worth remembering that kayaking can be enjoyable too - it is not all danger to be feared and risk to be mitigated

Sure, it is common sense to plan for things that might go wrong and take steps to ensure your safety, but how far you want to go in terms of the risks you are willing to take and the number and levels of mitigations you want to put in place are down to common sense and personal preference (unless subject to minimum legal requirements in some jurisdictions).

There's plenty of advice on these forums about safety gear and strategies but don't let fear of all the things that might go wrong put you off. Rather I suggest you determine how risky you want/don't want to be, prepare as well as you reasonably can in the face of the risks you will be taking, adopt a conservative approach to your chosen pastime consistent with your 'risk profile', and avoid unnecessarily or selfishly putting other people in danger through your own willingness to accept high levels of risk....

and then just get out there, have some adventures and enjoy life on your Oasis !

stobbo :If you word it that way then peeing in the water does work because I have not been eaten. We scuba dive and snorkel a lot (mostly from our TI), and usually see sharks and barracuda. Every time without fail if I see one I get all freaked out, and wet myself (true story). SO IT DOES WORK.

We were out in our tandem Oasis last week. While in a fairly narrow channel, several power boaters slowed down while passing us. But several did not and pushed some really big wakes at us. We felt totally in control and not in danger, but we did turn into the bigger wakes to take them on an angle. The Oasis seems very stable to us.

I've had my Oasis since summer of 2011 and love my tank. Been in the ocean off the NJ shore (Pt. Pleasant) and in the Manaquan/Pt. Pleasant river on the weekend's (least favorite time), and through the inlet (picking right conditions/days). All in all a very stable yak (I'm 270 lbs), and I solo often with proper ballast. We upgraded to the turbo fins with a very tangible benefit in performance.

Went to the lower Keys in Feb an loved it. An unexpected suprise was the strength of the currents there, especially under the bridges when fishing. When we were heading back under the bridge we peddled in to a small patch of turbulent water ( kind of small whirlpool like) and it almost pulled the yak down from the back and we had a rough time getting out of it for about 15 seconds and we almost capsized, first to the right and then to the left. That was the only time I felt we might go over.

In the nasty river chop/wake from inconsiderate boaters as well a rough conditions when the wind kicked up, the Oasis was more than up to the challenge. I do echo the suggestion by fusioneng regarding practicing self rescue because it isn't an easy task the first time if you are in any duress. Enjoy your Oasis, I can't wait for it to get warmer here.

Hi, hoping someone can give me first hand experience about how stable the Oasis Tandam is with two people in it offshore in swells or rough water (moderate roughness). Planning to go down to Pensacola next month and have never been offshore in it. Just in rough lake water.

Thanks.David

I bought my Oasis Tandem on the Island of St Croix in the USVI.I think it's pretty stable. Much better than the "Malibutwo" I had previously used.

The waters around St Croix can get pretty rough, and the shores have reefs which means "breakers" in many areas even on a calm day.

My 5' 6" 160 lb daughter in the front, and my 260 lb 6' frame in the back did the annual kayak race from Cane Bay to Frederiksted (12 miles) which goes around Ham's Bluff ...a point where the deep water meets the shallows and swells/currents can be rough on a good day. (that race no longer goes around the bluff)

In the 2010 race we were one of the FEW kayaks which DID NOT tip over in 5-7 ft cresting swells. Going around the Bluff/point, we road the swells, but also had reverb coming back off the cliff at an angle. We road straight down the swells and zigged at the bottom to hit the reverb perpendicular coming off the cliffs. Fun and tense.

Those who did tip over, and many of them were single kayaks, were either inexperienced or the unlucky, (or they were the two yahoos who had just bought a new hobie they had never taken out, and strapped a beer cooler on the back of it).

Prior to the race, my daughter and I had spent many hours on that water in lesser seas. We knew how not to OVER COMPENSATE in those moments when the boat leans or slips sideways a bit. Over-reacting is probably the greatest cause of tipping. Experience helps, so does watching the swells, knowing how to properly steer, and being lucky.

The biggest problem was people getting BACK in their boats in swells. There's a great thread on this board about self-rescue, self-boarding techniques. If you haven't read it and practiced it, good luck. We stopped frequently to stabilize other kayaks while the owners tried to heave themselves back in.

One day in much lesser swells in the same area, I had a friend in the front who was 220, 6' 1', and our center of gravity was so high and bow so low that we turned around and went home.

Hope this info helps.

Here's a photo of my daughter and our kayak at the start of the race at the calm/sheltered Cane Bay. Ham's Bluff can be seen in the distance. Water looks pretty calm, doesn't it? That's another factor in your decision making: do you know the water in the area?